HELENA, MONT.  The wolf population in the Northern Rockies rose in 2011 despite the removal of federal protections and hunts held in Montana and Idaho, federal wildlife officials said Wednesday.

The animal's numbers rose by more than 7 percent to 1,774 wolves, as state officials look for more ways to reduce the population under pressure from hunters and ranchers who blame the predators for livestock and big-game losses.

Wolves, much like the gators, will become a nuisance after awhile when protected. It surprises me in historical reading how much energy went into eliminating them in the first place. I still want to claim that they will expand across the country perhaps interbreeding with dogs, red wolfs and maybe coyotes to form something new that can hang out on the edges of cities. At the very least they stand a good chance of changing themselves into something new, canines seem to have a rather adaptable genetic nature judging from dogs. At some point we will be wondering just what we have done in bringing them back.

Coyotes in NC are already cross breeding with the Red Wolf to the point that some biologists are afraid the pure Red Wolf may disappear. So now you have a larger coyote that is not afraid of people. They are also breeding with dogs and you get the same thing. A larger unafraid coyote. We have them in our neighborhood. We have heard that there are even a few grey wolves in GA. My sister had one sashay through her yard a few years ago when they lived outside Waynesville, NC. It was larger than their Pyranees. Since they probably don’t know where the state line is they are likely in GA now also.

7
posted on 03/07/2012 8:54:26 PM PST
by Georgia Girl 2
(The only purpose of a pistol is to fight your way back to the rifle you should never have dropped.)

Disclaimer:
Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual
posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its
management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the
exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.